Atticus Finch

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 02.22.2016

* Most lawyers have a relationship to the fictional Atticus Finch. [Guile is Good] * Is Donald Trump's popularity based, at least in part, on a critique of capitalism? Sure, he's in favor of it, but that doesn't mean he won't exploit discontent with the system to get elected. [Lawyers, Guns and Money] * Hey 1Ls! Wanna know why you aren't getting laid? Blame it on Scalia. [20 Somethings] * Burning question alert: When your work actually makes you sick, can you bill vomit time? [Daily Lawyer Tips] * TSwift is putting her money where everyone else's tweets are -- the singer donated $250,000 to Kesha after her devastating court loss, but is it enough. [Huffington Post] * Is the stalemate over who gets to appoint the next Supreme Court justice really about race? [Talking Points Memo] * Anti-gay laws may finally hurt supporters in one place they care about -- their pocketbooks. Why one business is relocating on the precipice of a new "religious liberty" law in Georgia. [Slate] * Justice Scalia's real legacy was pro-big  business. [The Atlantic]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 07.28.15

* "Bueller... Bueller..." Richard Hsu chats with Ben Stein. [Hsu Untied] * NFL deflates Tom Brady's hopes of playing a full season. [Redline] * Can a public defender really handle 700 cases a year? Spoiler alert: No. [Mother Jones] * About a third of the seats on the Court of Federal Claims are vacant, and a solitary Senator aims to keep it that way. Why are Republicans against getting citizens tax refunds? Shouldn't that be their whole schtick? [Constitutional Accountability Center] * If you're around August 11, check out "Many Faces of Mediation: An Alternative to Courtroom Drama" at JAMS HQ in New York. [ABA] * If you've been hankering for a podcast covering the U.S. Tax Court, then hanker no further. [U.S. Tax Court Podcast via iTunes] * A proposal for expanding the U.S. News Diversity Index. [Iowa Law Review via SSRN] * The continuing tribute to commenter Partner Emeritus rolls on. This time delving into my favorite Baby Boomer trope: lame excuses for skipping out on Vietnam. [What About Clients?] * Talmage Boston explains how Atticus Finch is still worthy of respect in a post-Go Set a Watchman (affiliate link) world. [Washington Independent Review of Books] * Talmage will be moderating a panel at the ABA Annual Meeting featuring Judge Posner, William Landay, and Laura Caldwell. The panel will also include our own David Lat, discussing Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link). [Supreme Ambitions]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.27.15

* A jury has ruled that rapper 50 Cent must pay an additional $2 million in punitive damages to a woman whose sex tape he posted online, on top of the $5 million he already owes her. This wanksta better hope the judgment gets discharged in bankruptcy. [Associated Press] * California is America's breeding ground for unaccredited law schools, and "[m]ost jurisdictions simply don't allow [these] kind of law school[s] to exist at all. Period." Nearly all students (about 9 out of 10) drop out before graduation. How much money is being wasted? [Los Angeles Times] * Since 2007, the pay gap between the highest- and lowest-paid positions in many specialized fields has widened -- but that isn't the case when it comes to the legal profession. Unfortunately, not as many people are making it rain. [New York Times] * "[M]aybe legislation should fix this. Not the court." A San Diego judge has suggested that he'll likely dismiss a right-to-die lawsuit filed by Christy O'Donnell, a civil rights attorney who's fighting a battle against lung, brain, spine, rib, and liver cancer. [NBC San Diego] * You've seen reactions to Harper Lee's portrayal of Atticus Finch as a racist in Go Set A Watchman (affiliate link) from everyone and their mother and their dog, but maybe you haven't seen reactions from law professors yet, so have a look. [National Law Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 02.09.15

* The Supreme Court is going to strike down bans on marriage equality folks. And the tea leaves aren't that hard to read. [Slate] * Even if the Court proclaims marriage equality the law of the land, discrimination will march on. On that note, can American law schools like Liberty continue to follow Canada's controversial Trinity Western in functionally barring homosexuality? [Tax Prof Blog] * Law students f**king love Atticus Finch. Um, you know he lost right? Start looking up to winners, like Dan Fielding or something. [Slate] * Who else is jumping from the hulk that was once Patton Boggs? [Legal Times (sub. req.)] * Our old friend George Mason Assistant Dean Richard Kelsey, who we last saw Tweeting about black people and the lack of reason, is back explaining that abortion is genocide... because it leads to immigrants coming to America. Or something. [CNS News] * Meanwhile, there's a new casebook out covering reproductive rights law that challenges the conventional classification of the subject as a subset of women's issues. [RH Reality Check] * Harvard Law 3L, soon-to-be Clifford Chance associate, rapper. [J.KO]

By Joe Patrice
Gender

Non-Sequiturs: 07.16.13

* The Zimmerman verdict allows us to sit back and reflect on how bad Atticus Finch really was at his job. [Criminal Defense Blog] * In case you’d forgotten about the shenanigans at Louisville’s Brandeis School of Law, here’s your update: a former employee has been charged for promising students more scholarships than the school had. Rick Pitino needs to show the law school how to work within scholarship limits. [Courier-Journal] * State licensing boards are trying to put the kibosh on advice columnists. Next thing you know, they’ll be trying to shut down Dr. Demento. [Lexington Herald-Leader] * Fun with patents: Monkey Dog Saddle! [Lowering the Bar] * Transgendered workers are successfully challenging workplace discrimination using the Civil Rights Act. These sound like cases Justice Alito will get right on overturning. [Buzzfeed] * McDonald’s is trying to show how it provides its employees a living wage. It just requires working a second job for a total of between 62-74 hours. No biggie. [Lawyers, Guns & Money]

By Joe Patrice
Books

Non-Sequiturs: 05.07.13

* A senior litigation associate at Paul Hastings, Ryan Nier, has decided to participate in something called the Death Race, and it has nothing to do with the drive for partnership. This Death Race is 50-mile mountain endurance/obstacle race that takes somewhere between 24 and 48 straight hours to finish. Only a handful complete the race every year, and Nier is determined to be one of them. From what we’re told, Paul Hastings has been entirely supportive of Nier, which is cool because he’s using it as an opportunity to raise money for charity. But who knows how supportive they’ll be when they realize he won’t have Blackberry access on top of the mountain for 48 hours. For more information about the Death Race, check out the website. [The Death Race] * Law student golfing across the U.S. So, I take it summer associate gigs are still scarce? [Golf.com] * “Guess What the Air Force’s Chief of Sexual Assault Prevention Was Just Arrested For…” Hard to top that headline. [Lowering the Bar] * Harper Lee suing over “To Kill a Mockingbird” (affiliate link), alleging that the son-in-law of her literary agent botched the copyright. *Insert cheap Atticus Finch joke here* [Washington Post] * Gigi Jordan case gets even uglier with misconduct charges flying around. [Thompson Reuters News & Insight] * Dr. Phil is suing Gawker alleging that the website posted a video of the pop psychologist’s interview with Manti Te’o, stifling ratings. So Dr. Phil thinks his audience strongly overlaps with Gawker’s. I’m incredulous. [Yahoo! Sports] * This is why an over-aggressive cease and desist letter can get you into more trouble. Enter the world of the “miniature war-gaming community.” [Popehat] * A guide to the questions applicants need to be able to answer at OCI. The best? “Describe a situation when you had to think on your feet to extricate yourself from a difficult situation.” This provides insight into how the applicant will deal with virtually every situation that ever comes up in Biglaw. [Ms. JD]

By Joe Patrice